Man charged over haul of illegal weapons found in Thomastown raid

Rania Spooner, Jane Lee

A Melbourne man has been charged following police raids which found stun guns disguised as smartphones among thousands of illegal weapons imported into Australia from China.

The man, 43, was charged with importing prohibited weapons at an out-of-sessions hearing on Thursday evening, an Australian Customs spokesman said. If convicted, he faces fines of up to $425,000, 10 years’ imprisonment, or both.

The stun guns were disguised as iPhones and torches, some of which were covered in diamontes, others were inscribed with the word: "Police".

"They would do the same sort of damage as a taser [stun gun] that would be used legally by the police," Victoria Police Inspector Darren Franks said. "They are dangerous."

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Acting on a tip from a member of the public customs officials intercepted and searched a container from China and discovered the weapons, ACBPS regional commander Victoria Graham Krisohos said. They had been concealed within fitness equipment and blankets.

Undercover officers then delivered the shipment to the Thomastown tool shop before raiding the premises.

Inspector Franks said police became aware of stun gun smartphones entering the Australian market a couple of years ago, largely as a result of routine traffic stops.